Posts Tagged ‘20’

Let’s see if I can remember from the pre-Internet days. So Centerfolds here at Broadway & Montgomery was supposed to be an “upscale dining” strip club. The cover charge was $20. IIRC, there had to be a “centerfold” stripper there on a daily basis, that was the rule. But I think it could be pretty much from any kind of publication, so a Miss January 1989 from Australian Playboy would qualify. And then the featured centerfold model would get put up at the Jack Tar / Cathedral Hill Hotel at Geary Van Ness. I bumped into a couple of them in the lobby, I’m srsly.

Anyway, it seemed like a crazy idea for Frisco, and the original concept didn’t last that long oh well. (See if you can find anybody reviewing the food on Yelp these days.) Here it is:

The oldest reference I can find:

1993: “Centerfolds, the upscale restaurant and bar that features topless dancers and a different Penthouse centerfold model each week, is putting the talents of French-born food and beverage director Pierre Bleuse to good use. Continuing its efforts to set itself apart from the seedy topless venues on Bawdyway, Centerfolds has good food and now a pretty decent wine list.”

But that was then and this is now.

Sic transit gloria Frisco…

Speaking of which, back in 2009 my bud from school wanted me to help him break into the shut down Cathedral Hill Hotel to find whichever room was used in The Conversation film from 1974. I declined. Anyway, enjoy:

NEW REQUIREMENTS: New Buildings Any building constructed after January 1, 2004 must have restrooms for customers or guests, if; (a) It contains a food establishment that provides space for food consumption on the premises, or (b) It contains a food establishment 20,000 square feet or more in size.1 Existing Buildings Any building constructed between July 1, 1984 and January 1, 2004, that contains a food establishment more than 20,000 square feet in size must have restrooms available for customers (at least one for men and one for women). Buildings constructed before July 1, 1984 that contain a food establishment greater than 20,000 square feet in size, but do not have space for on-site food consumption, are not required, by this legislation, to provide restrooms for patrons, guests, or invitees (check local codes.) (When determining the size of a food establishment that is part of a service station, do not use the gas pump area of the property.) Any building constructed before January 1, 2004 that contains a food establishment that provides space designated for on-site food consumption must have at least one restroom for customers or guests on the property or in the food establishment with the following exception: Operators of food establishments in buildings constructed before January 1, 2004 that are less than 20,000 square feet in size and that have space designated for food consumption, but do not have restrooms for patrons, guests, or invitees, must post a sign in a public area stating that restrooms are not available. Toilet facilities constructed after January 1, 1985 that are accessible only from food preparation or storage areas shall not be used by customers (Section 114105).

Well, let’s see, there are LOTS of reasons to not ride the vaunted THE WIGGLE route and also, there are other options asides from OAK.

But let’s consider Oak now. Oh, here’s famous fixie-riding Andy on the left side of Oak, from all the way back in aught-seven.

And look, the dashed lines made a sort of bike lane on the left side – good times. (Unfortunately, this space for bikes is no longer there, due to subsequent restriping.)

Anywho, going straight on Oak instead of taking the Wiggle at Scott is nice because you’ve only got one sort of steep block. I see people take Oak all the time. Oak is good. Oak is fast. Oak is congested a lot of the time due to horrible horrible Octavia Boulevard (what was dreamed up by wealthy homeowners in Hayes Valley), so you’d spend some time weaving about, getting around drivers trying to get on the I-80 / the 101 superslabs, but that’s OK. I’ll add that Oak is for the adventurous, certainly.

So, Oak is far from being a ridiculous choice, a choice TO TEACH US ALL A LESSON about the dangers of the SFPD handing out citations. It’s a viable option.

Or what of Oak and Baker to Fulton to Divisadero to Mcallister to Market? This is THE UNWIGGLE with no wiggling at all betwixt Divis and Market. And look, you’ve defeated the rich people of HV who put a 105 foot wide BOULEVARD betwixt you and your destination, ’cause Octavia is but a nothingburger walking path / federal housing project parking lot on this route – it won’t slow you down at all.

Or Fulton? It’s a bit hillier than McAll and you’ve got big old City Hall in your way, but it’ll do.

Or Golden Gate? That works too.

Or Haight all the way to Fillmore, just to avoid the congested THE WIGGLE?

Notice that all these routes avoid “cycling” a bunch of people through the stop signs at WALLER and STEINER in the Lower Haight.

Those are some of your inbound routes.

As far as using Fell to go back home, well that’s CRAZY TOWN, that’s ill-advised. I rarely have seen that, in all my years.

While 95% of cyclists using the Wiggle are really incredibly respectful of other road users, there is that small minority who give us all a bad name. I’ve always wanted to dress as a referee and hand out yellow and red cards to bad cyclists (and maybe some cars and peds too) and I’m using NOW! as my excuse!

Come join me in shaming the few bad cyclists out there and making the Wiggle just a little bit safer and more courteous!”

*I, myself, wiggle from street to street north of the Panhandle on my way inbound to Fulton and Scott – it depends on traffic.

**The pass over Alamo Heights, which the Southern Wiggle route mostly avoids by generally following the route of the former creek what used to drain the kind of valley where the Golden Gate Park Panhandle sits now.

I’ll just say that, generally speaking, it’s generally harder to get around town these days by car, by bike and by MUNI, compared with ten or twenty years ago. Part of this has to do with our newer, absurdly-wide sidewalks, designed for pedestrian “comfort.”

And yet, most ped and cyclist deaths in San Francisco involve fault from the peds and cyclists. Here’s 2014:

(I should do a video on how to be a pedestrian in SF. It might involve some jaywalking but it would also involve extreme alertness on behalf of peds. You see, the way to prevent a lot of ped deaths in SF would be to get inside their heads to see what’s going wrong.)

IMO, the SFMTA should leave McAllister alone and then start taking out as many bus stops as politically possible.

I’ll tell you, not that many cyclists pass by Broderick and McAllister compared with Scott and McAllister, it seems, owing to geography. So looking at McAllister and Scott, it seems that the lights will be timed against cyclists using FULTON DIVISADERO MCALLISTER eastbound as an alternative to the already-overcrowded Wiggle route to get from the Golden Gate Park Panhandle to the Financh.

So for my own selfish reasons, I’d prefer that MUNI not make these changes, but who am I to stand in their way? What the MUNI people are saying is that we’ll all be better off overall, and 40 seconds each way each day will add up to millions of seconds, eventually.

In conclusion, meh. If MUNI wants to put in lights, we should let them do it.

You know, I’m pretty, I’m popular, so I thought I’d be a cinch to join this new outfit and take over the joint. But then I read the fine print and It’s all, “up and coming,” and “professional,” and “young,” and I’m like WTF?

I guess this group’s not for me.

But you, well, you’ll fit right in:

“The Chamber will soon be launching SF Up, a new networking group for up and coming young professionals and we want your input! Are you a young professional under 40? Join us Thurs Feb 20, 5:30 – 7 pm, for a focus group and tell us what you’d like to see in our new program. Admission is free, but per-registration is required.”

“The San Francisco Chamber is launching a new networking group for up and coming young professionals and we want your input. We are seeking young professionals ages 40 and under to participate in a focus group Date to discuss what you’d like to see in our new program.We will also be recruiting committee members and chair-persons for this new and exciting group. SFUP will be led and evolved through the leadership of people like you. Please join us on February 20th.”
ACT FAST-Seats are limited!